A study published by the Centre for Heterodox Social Science at the University of Buckingham uses three surveys to suggest a substantial drop (about 50%) in non-binary self-identification among American students since 2023, and a smaller but not insignificant drop (about 10%) in “queer” self-identification; however, the rate of identification with traditional labels like gay or lesbian remains constant.
The study’s author, Prof. Eric Kaufmann, extrapolates this data to conclude a similar drop in trans-identification, but others have pointed out that the surveys he uses do not directly ask about trans identity.
However, more recently, Prof. Jean Twenge, a noted psychologist who studies generational trends, has adduced data from the Cooperative Election Study that shows that trans identification among 18-22 year olds did indeed peak in 2022 (and non-binary in 2023), falling by almost half. She finds that rates are significantly higher among those in the birth cohort from 1999 to 2005.
But the Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine, using the National College Health Assessment, counters that trans-identification, at 4.7% in 2025, is at an all-time high, at least among undergraduate students.
